invocation

[ in-vuh-key-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., for aid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication.
2. any petitioning or supplication for help or aid.
3. a form of prayer invoking God's presence, especially one said at the beginning of a religious service or public ceremony.
4. an entreaty for aid and guidance from a Muse, deity, etc., at the beginning of an epic or epiclike poem.
5. the act of calling upon a spirit by incantation.
6. the magic formula used to conjure up a spirit; incantation.
7. the act of calling upon or referring to something, as a concept or document, for support and justification in a particular circumstance.
8. the enforcing or use of a legal or moral precept or right.

invocation

/ ɪnˈvɒkətərɪ; ˌɪnvəˈkeɪʃən; -trɪ /

noun

1. the act of invoking or calling upon some agent for assistance
2. a prayer asking God for help, forgiveness, etc, esp as part of a religious service
3. an appeal for inspiration and guidance from a Muse or deity at the beginning of a poem
4. 1. the act of summoning a spirit or demon from another world by ritual incantation or magic
   2. the incantation used in this act

Derived Forms

• invocatory, adjective
• ˌinvoˈcational, adjective

Other Words From

• in·voc·a·to·ry [in-, vok, -, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
• prein·vo·cation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of invocation¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English invocacio(u)n, from Latin invocātiōn-, stem of invocātiō “a calling upon”; invocate, -ion

Example Sentences

Other employees report repeated invocations of empathy from upper management in staff meetings, but little training on how to implement it with those they supervise.

From Time

This new Springsteen on Broadway—a slight reimagining for a grand reopening—is not so much a reflection of what we’ve lost as an invocation to step boldly toward all that’s left to be found.

From Time

Either way, the earnest invocation of an idealized politician being either a stacked savior or a wine-sipping bestie makes a mockery of the idea that politicians are nothing more than fellow citizens chosen for a short time to serve the public good.

From Washington Post

Recall the right-wing invocation of “Flight 93” in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

From Washington Post

In order for you to call this service from Google Sheets it must allow unauthenticated invocations.

From Search Engine Land

That word “denialism” is particularly profane, with its unsubtle invocation of the Holocaust.

From The Daily Beast

Feminists should be concerned about the invocation of traditional roles.

From The Daily Beast

I was asked by then President-elect Obama to deliver the invocation at the opening inaugural event.

From The Daily Beast

When science was young, the invocation of miracles was commonplace.

From The Daily Beast

This “promiscuous” invocation of religious freedom would deny equal rights to those with different religious convictions—or none.

From The Daily Beast

Therefore the principal object of our invocation of the saints ought to be the obtaining of their help in following their example.

From Project Gutenberg

Country folk, journeying by the street below, looked up with lips that whispered invocation.

From Project Gutenberg

The invocation, "Queen conceived without the stain of original sin," was added to the Litany of Loreto.

From Project Gutenberg

But what of the love, however expressed, in the lyrical invocation to the brown liqueur?

From Project Gutenberg

A final howl of invocation resulted in complete failure, whereupon it was decided that Baal-Zeboub had business elsewhere.

From Project Gutenberg